Watson To Be Knighted

hobbes37 writes "BBC News is reporting that James Watson, one of the scientists who discovered the double helical structure of DNA nearly 50 years ago, is to receive an honorary knighthood."

Re:Crick?

[Ubi_NL]

Crick is dead

What about Tim-Berners Lee

[an_mo]

I guess this means Tim-Berners Lee, another imaginative Briton, has to wait another 40 years.

Re:What about Tim-Berners Lee

[Xenophon Fenderson,]

There's a big difference between biology and <sarcasm>library science</>. All Berners-Lee did was develop a popular naming scheme for content (hypertext systems have been around for a long time). Watson, et al, discovered, fundamentally, how life works. The two accomplishments don't really compare.

Not a real knight

[fm6]

Watson is an American, though he was in the UK when he did the DNA work. That's why he's getting an honorary knighthood. Wouldn't do to accept homage [fordham.edu] from a foreigner. How can you be sure they'll show up for the next Viking attack?

Research or commerce

[Sprunkys]

Consider that this man has devoted his whole life to research, to knowledge, to finding answers. And then it takes ages for such a man to be rewarded for his research et al (though I must admit he received his Nobel Price quite early, compare to many other laureates, they are often older than 60 or so). Compare this to a businessman, a manager, a college graduate (with lower grades than his fellow student who goes into research) being paid way too much money to sit at a desk and order people around till the age of 60 when he retires and spends the rest of his life in his mansion... somewhere it doesn't seem right.

I still have several years till I have to make a decision between engaging in research/education or going into business (1st year [e-mail]) but it seems to me that the "reward" for my efforts I would get in research/education are less than when I would work for a big company, earning a lot of money (for them and for me)... what we overlook though is personal satisfaction. A Nobel Price would mean much more to me than a nice golden pen after twenty years of loyal work to whomever...
I wonder, how does the rest of the community look upon a matter like this?

Re:Research or commerce

[Tityrus]

I feel much more like doing research. I'm a mathematics student, and if you get a non-research job with maths, you usually end up as a programmer or a statistician. Whereas, as you do research you are being payed a decent amount of money to read all the books you can get your hands on, investigate the topics you like, etc. I think that's rewarding in itself. The amount of jobs is limited. You're a physics student, but you won't find an industry job where you have to study eg. the quark-gluon interaction for moderate energies :) BTW, you can reward yourself, seeing that you study physics, just discover some nifty device like a handheld quantum computer and you'll be rich _and_ a good scientist in no time :))

Re:Research or commerce

[Sprunkys]

hmmm, handheld quantum computer... sounds nice, any suggestions?

but i think you make a slight mistake here... you have to be a good scientist before making such a handheld quantum computer... you won't become one afterwards :)

Re:Research or commerce

[dabacon]

but it seems to me that the "reward" for my efforts I would get in research/education are less than when I would work for a big company, earning a lot of money

Which is the reason most researchers feel that the research itself is the reward.

dabacon

Re:Research or commerce

[Sprunkys]

True. Research is driven by passion.